PORTLAND:

South Falls

This past Saturday, we headed into the Willamette Valley known as Pinot Paradise. The valley is home to over 500+ wineries and world famous for Pinot noir. The drive from Portland into the valley was gorgeous with rolling farm lands and views of Mt. Hood in the distance. The land was filled with Christmas tree farms and Pinot vineyards. Two equally wonderful things to be growing in close proximity. Just Google pictures of the Willamette Valley and you can seen how breathtaking it is.

We dipped down among the evergreens into Silver Fall State Park to hunt down some waterfalls. The park came under protection in 1935 thanks to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a photographer named June D. Drake. The park contains the Trail of Ten Falls which winds you through the park revealing 10 unique waterfalls around every bend. The parking lot allows access to the South Falls Lodge which was built in 1934. Around the lodge there was a variety of events going on, including an antique car display with old Fords, a group of women spinning yarn on the patio, and a logging demonstration in the yard.

Behind Lower South Falls

Lower South Falls

The first stop along the trail is at South Falls which is 177 ft in height. The trail allows for access behind the water and under the rock. The falls mid-summer are typically less powerful than in spring. The roar of the water crashing down was already impressive, it would likely be deafening with this snow melt.

Double Falls

The trail continued on to the Lower South Falls which is another falls you can walk behind. It was gorgeous to see the sun catching the light behind the falls. Illuminating the green moss surrounding the falls.

We continued on the trail pass the Lower North Falls at the 2 mile mark, on to Double Falls. This is the tallest falls in the park coming in at 178 ft. We continued on past the Drake Falls and the Middle North Falls. The Winter Falls was barely at trickle at this time. It is named appropriately because it only flows during the winter months.

We ultimately ended up seeing 6 different waterfalls. We had hiked a decent amount and had worked up an appetite. On the way back out of the Willamette Valley, we stopped at the Piluso Vineyard and Winery for a $5 tasting. The owner of the vineyard educated us on what it takes to start a winery. We also learned why white wine bottles are shaped differently than reds. White wines typically do not contain a lot of sediment and therefore can have a smooth curvature to the bottle opening. The shape of the red wine bottle prevents sediment from coming out of the bottle into the glass. Now we know!

PORTLAND:

It has been a while since I have sat down to blog. I have been getting settled at my new job which is going pretty well so far. I start seeing patient's next week. I am looking forward to feeling productive at the office. I would much rather feel busy than bored.

I continued to go on some wonderful adventures in the past two weeks. Even if not at the same level of frequency. My friend came to visit from the coast of Oregon. We decided to just eat all weekend. First she took me to Powell's Books, which is apparently a right of passage if you come to Portland. Powell's is the world's largest independent bookstore with over two million volumes in their inventory.  Upon entering, the bookstore was packed with city tourists. I meandered around a bit and was overwhelmed by a combination of the bustle and the amount of books. At first I thought maybe I should find a book to buy, but soon realized that the check out line was so long it was like waiting for a ride at Disney. It went around many corners of the store. There was even a woman with the sole job of marking the end of the line with a sign. Maybe another times.

My friend and I decided that we wanted some delicious carbs. We headed to Grassa for some homemade pasta. I have learned very recently that box pasta is NOTHING compared to homemade pasta.

Side note: Over Christmas break my husband and I went to NYC for a day trip. We ended up at Aunt Jake's another phenomenal hand made pasta restaurant with a lovely atmosphere. I had their rigatoni with marinara sauce, so simply but so fantastic! Hard to go back to boxed pasta after that.

Back to Grassa: The restaurant itself was a small place but full of character. I love the combination of wood and steel elements of a restaurant. The best Portland restaurants provide an experience beyond the level of food. The attention to detail makes is meal that much more exciting. My friend and I split the Spagetti 'Aglio Olio' and some of their amazing garlic bread. The pasta was delicious with garlic, chili flakes, olive oil, grana and breadcrumbs. Our belly's were very carb happy.

My friend had not had the opportunity to go to Bollywood Theater, which I have mentioned before. I knew that she had to try the Vada Pav and the grilled corn! We then went back to Salt & Straw because how could you stay away! I had a scoop of Pear & Blue Cheese and a scoop of the Arbequina Oil ice cream. Both were delicious. My friend had the seasonal Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero which had some heat to it.

We took a break from eating for a brief moment and then headed to Ava Gene's, a Roman restaurant. This restaurant claims to be one of the best in Portland and is on Division street. Reservation were so backed up that we ended up with dinner at 10:30 pm. The top of the menu read "Locally Sourced, Aggressively Seasonal". We started with toasted bread with sheep cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil on top. We ordered a variety of the Giardini and Primi options on the menu. We definitely reached our maximum level of food intake.

In the morning, we went out for a popular Portland past time: brunch! We headed to HunnyMilk which is located on NE 28th Ave. They share the spot with La Buca. We were sat after a little bit of wait  and crayons greeted us at the table. There were more adults than kids coloring at this restaurant. This pop up brunch place does a $20 package with drink, a savory dish, and a sweet dish. My friend and I each got something different so we could try everything. Just to give you an idea, one of the sweets was a floating island french toast with lemon-orange curd, honey poached meringue, elderflower strawberries and toasted coconut. My favorite thing on the menu was the home fries! This brunch was definitely the icing on the cake to an amazing foodie weekend!

PORTLAND:

We headed back into the Columbia River Gorge for another waterfall adventure. We headed to the

Ponytail Falls

Horsetail Falls

Oneonta Trail which is north of the Multnomah falls area. The trail allows beautiful views of the Horsetail, Ponytail, Middle Oneonta and Triple falls. There is also access to the popular Oneonta creek which leads to the Oneonta falls. We will likely return to explore the Oneonta creek in the future.

The trial was mild to start with some steeper sections. We came upon Ponytail falls which shot out from a fissure in the massive rock formations. The trail leads behind the falls and under these massive rock formations. It is hard not to be weary and I decided not to spend a lot of time under there.

Oneonta Creek Bridge

Middle Oneonta Falls

The trail leads up to a look out point over the Columbia River Gorge. We decided to stop here for a break and to take in the views. The trail then dipped back down with a number of switch backs. We headed over the Oneonta Creek bridge which provided views of the Middle Oneonta Falls. The trail leads to the very top of the Lower Oneonta falls. Unfortunately, you can hear the roar of these falls but it is nearly impossible to access the lower portion from this trail. Instead, you have to start back near the road, walk along the creek bed, make it through a log jam, to make it to the secluded waterfall. Stay tuned for that adventure!

Triple Falls

The trail gets much more difficult leading deeper into the Oneonta Gorge along the creek. There are moderately difficult areas of loose rock and dirt. The trail dips down again to a large rock formation with a view of Triple falls. We continued on along a path that allows access of the top of the Triple falls. If you are brave you can walk out on the rock to near the very edge of the falls. Not for the faint at heart. Pictures never fully reveal the true depth of looking down from the top of a waterfall.

Top of Triple Falls

We continued on further into the gorge. The sun was at the perfect golden hour which allowed for a gorgeous green glow along the trail. The creek is full of boulders with multiple smaller waterfalls. We would have loved to continue on further but decided to head back down before the light became to dim. We took the loop trail back to the road. It was a wonderful hike with lots of rewards along the way!

Trail along the Oneonta Creek

THINGS THAT ARE SO PORTLAND:

1) Bikes
2) Facial hair
3) Graffiti art
4) Food trucks
5) Farmer markets
6) Recycling bins
7) Crazy custom cars
8) The color green
9) Misty rain
10) Wild flowers in bloom
11) Tattoos
12) Donuts
13) Coffee
14) Beer
15) Pride flags
16) Brunch
17) Hiking


THINGS THAT ARE SO ORLANDO
1) Mamosas
2) Eating outside
3) Lizards
4) Lake Eola
5) Hot weather
6) Summer thunderstorms
7) Church/Wall Street
8) Orlando City Soccer
9) The color purple
10) Colorful night lights on skyscrapers
11) Open air bars
12) I-4
13) Gators
14) Sunsets
15) Fire ants
16) Graffiti junction
17) Spanish or Latino food

PORTLAND:

It has been two weeks since moving to Portland. Definitely feels like we are still on vacation. This is mainly because I have not started work yet. It will probably feel more real after that.

Friday was a laid back day. After not doing much in the morning, my husband and I did venture to the local Mt. Tabor Park for some stair climbing. This is a extinct volcanic cinder cone with what seems like an endless series of stairs to the top. At the top there is a forest park with views of downtown Portland, Mt. Hood, and glimpses of Mt. St. Helens. We climbed the stairs three times and found out that I am still very much so out of shape.

Continuing on to Saturday, a heat wave was upon the nation and this did not leave out the PNW. Temperatures were easily reaching the 90s and most homes in Portland do not have air conditioning. When it gets this hot in Portland, you just get out of the house, heading to the mountains or the rivers. We decided to head back to the Clackamus River to cool off with another float. We met at Elka Bee's Coffee Shop & Tea Haus along the way for some breakfast. I had a Lavender Honey ice coffee and an egg and cheese on a ciabatta roll. For some reason, I really love the taste of lavender in coffee, ice cream or chocolate.

With our bellies satisfied, we headed down to the river. We decided to launch from a location further up the river at the Lower McIver boat ramp. The swan was back at it again! Just starting off, we hit one section of class II+ rapids which were fairly intense for floaters. The swan not being seasoned for white water did not handle it well and flipped. Luckily the rider was able to recover quickly. The $12 Walmart raft was able to evade the rough section and we avoided the same fate. The river was likely 60 degrees and we all took turns slipping in at the calmer areas to cool off. It took a surprisingly long time to get to the Burton Bridge, which is where we launched the first time. The river was flowing a bit slower today. After the spring snow melt, the river slowly looses speed heading further into the summer months. At one point, we had to walk our floats over a very shallow section. It is not fun trying to float over rocks. They are not forgiving. We all made it back in one piece, a little bruised maybe. It was otherwise another successful float. Small tip: when you park the pick up car down stream, make sure you don't leave your car keys locked in the car parked 10 miles upstream. This resulted in a pleasant Uber ride back and great lesson learned!

 

Sunday was another laid back day, which seems to be the pattern so far. We partook in another Portland tradition and headed to a local farmers market. There are over 50 farmer markets located in the city. We headed to Lents International farmers market. I invested in a home made Mexican spinach and tofu tamale from the Tamale Poblanos tent. So delicious! They also make horchata drinks with hibiscus, watermelon and lemonade flavors. My friend got local honey from one tent and three cups of locally grown perfectly ripe blackberries from the Big E Berry farm tent. It was wonderful to support and enjoy what the local markets had to offer.

Monday rolled around like it does and we decided to get out of Oregon for the afternoon. We headed across the Columbia River to Washougal, Washington for a hike at Cape Horn. Southern Washington looks just like Oregon except with less people. The I-205 branches into Hwy 14 which leads east along the Columbia River gorge. We pulled off into the trail parking lot and started on the upper trail to the Cape Horn look out. The lower trail leads to the Cape Horn Falls but is closed until July 15 due to nesting Peregrine falcons. It took about an hour of hiking to make it up to the 1350 ft overlook. The view looks directly across the Columbia River Gorge to the Oregon side. From the view, you can see Angel's Rest, our very first Oregon hike, and the top of Multnomah falls.

We continued along the trail past horse pasture and a gorgeous open fields. The air was fresh and cool enough to drink. The sound of the rustling fields and the warm sun on my face was heaven. The trail led to the Nancy Russell Overlook which is another beautiful view of the Columbia River Gorge. Nancy Russell is credited with saving the lower gorge area from commercial development. The overlook reveals miles of green land that would have been sectioned into off into subdivisions. Nancy and her husband provided a loan to the Public Land Trust to purchase 12 out of the 16 subdivisions.Because of this the land remained untouched and has been preserved ever since.

PORTLAND:

Upper Latourell Falls

I hate beautiful waterfalls. Said no one ever! It's been 8 days into our Portland adventure and we headed back into the Columbia River Gorge to Latourell falls. The base of the falls is easily accessed from the path to the right. However, we were more in the hiking mood and took the 2.5 mile loop on the left side. There is an elevation gain of approximately 600-700 ft in quite a short period of time. But the rigorous climb was short lived and completely worth it. The trail led to the very top of the 250 ft falls, and if you were brave you could literally stand at the top of the falls. This was way to nerve-racking for me. I prefer solid ground.

We continued on to the Upper Latourell Falls at the very peak of the hike. This is a smaller 125 ft water fall with a gorgeous curtain-like section of the falls at the top. It was difficult to capture the magic with my phone camera, as most things are in nature. The real thing is always better anyways.

Latourell Falls

On the way down, we came across what may have been a Thamnophis elegans elegans, also known as a Mountain garter snake. He/She had an aqua blue stripe down its back but otherwise was dark gray/black. It was curled up but looked to be 2-3 ft long.

The trail looped down to the very base of the Latourell falls. If you ever want to feel small, stand next to these falls! The water drops straight down off of a cliff made out of basalt rock. This rock and its texture was formed by slow cooling lava flows. As the lava contracts with cooling, cracks form cutting the rock into polygonal columns. The perfect cuts in the rock may appear man-made but are 100% naturally formed. Both the Upper and Lower Latourell falls demonstrate this phenomenon. And by standing at the base of the falls you are standing at a point were the lava came to a halt.

Heavenly Donuts

On the way home we stopped by our first Portland donut shop at Heavenly Donuts. It's hard to believe we spent 8 days in Portland and have not had a Portland donut! When you grow up only eating Dunkin Donuts, it is crazy to think there is 14 competitive donut shops in Portland. And no Dunkin! Each shop has a variety of kinds: mini, old-fashioned, puffed, and cake donuts. Got to try them all!

After snacking on donuts all afternoon, we headed to Burgerville to grab dinner. I am already a huge fan. The spicy Anasazi bean burger was delicious! Definitely in my top 3 veggie burgers ever eaten. I was super impressed to see a variety of salads and fish options on the menu. The company uses local ingredients and sustainable methods such as recycling cooking oil into biodiesel. And just like a fancy sit down restaurant, the menu changes with what ingredients are in season! Take that fast food restaurants everywhere.

PORTLAND:

Barton Bridge

The last two days were packed with adventure! Yesterday a group of us headed out to the Clackamus River for a float. We were lucky to snag a $12 inflatable raft from Walmart a few days ago in preparation. In addition, two inflatable kayaks and one lucky inflatable swan came along for the ride. We started out at Barton Park right before the Barton Bridge. It was only $5 to park. The weather was gorgeous with blue skies and 70-80 degrees. The water temperature was a slightly numbing 50-60 degrees. The goal was to spend most of the time in the raft and not flip over unless absolutely necessary.

After lots of foot pumping, our water vessels were ready for launch. The Clackamus River splits at times and reunites at others. So, right away we got divided from our group for a short period of time. After merging back together, we tied off with the swan while the kayaks went ahead. We bounced along class 1 to class 2 rapids which only amplified the excitement. The river itself was unbelievably clear and remained relatively shallow at most parts. We floated along at 3-5 mph for 4-5 hours.

Clackamus River

One of the most beautiful moments was seeing Mt. Hood rising in the distance over the river. There truly is nothing like floating down a river on a warm summer day and seeing a gorgeous snow capped mountain in the distance. No photograph could ever do it justice.




We ultimately arrived at Carver Park approximately 5 miles down the river. We pulled out our floats and began the deflation process. Honestly, I did not want to stop floating and probably could have for another 5 hours (or years really).

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings - John Muir

Mirror Lake with Mt. Hood

Today we opted to be less lazy and did a combo hike which included Mirror Lake Trail and Tom Dick and Harry Mountain trail. The first portion of the hike started off within a cooler forest region with scents of fresh evergreen and soil. After about a mile, the trail opens up to a marsh-like area and the small glacial Mirror Lake. As we made our way around the lake, the lovely Mt. Hood came into view. We were fortunate that today there was minimal cloud cover surrounding the peak.

Mt. Hood

 After a short rest and snack, we headed up the Tom Dick and Harry mountain trail. This was a slightly more difficult ascent with steep rockier terrain. At about half way up, my friend launched a snow ball in our direction. It was amazing to see pockets of snow throughout the mountain, especially on a 70 degree sunny day.

The struggle was real as were neared the summit. I was really feeling the thin air and the lack of endurance. But I pulled through! And the view was worth it. From the top, an even grander view of Mt. Hood was on display. And to put icing on the cake, Mt. Adams, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. St. Helens were all within view. We spent some time resting and taking in the views.

We eventually headed back down before the sun began to set. Once we reached the car my Fitbit had tracked over 18,000 steps for the trip alone. It is amazing to think that in my first few days in Oregon, I have spent more time in nature than I have in the last 5 years. Here's to many more days among evergreen trees and on top of mountains.

PORTLAND:

Day four. Day three did not involve any outdoor or foodie adventures. However, we did find a place to live which is always helpful.

The sun was shining this morning, as we headed out to Powell Butte (I like to think it's pronounced boo-tay) Nature Park to explore the area. This is a sprawling 600 acre area that includes a variety of trails and an awesome display of blooming wild flowers. I even saw some varieties that I use to love as a kid. It made me realize how little I came across wild flowers in Florida. At least not those growing with such vibrancy.

We wandered along three or more miles of trail, taking in the sights and sounds of nature. At one point the trailed dropped down into a cooler moss-covered forest. Everything was green. The air was fresh. And the world was quiet.

We ended up at an overlook which pointed to each mountain within range. Most were difficult to see due to cloud cover. You could just barely make out the snowy slopes of Mt. Hood in the distance. Mt. Hood is the tallest peak in Oregon at 11,294 feet. And just like it's once 9,677 ft neighbor, Mt. St. Helens, it is an active volcano. Mt. St. Helens's explosive eruption in 1980 resulted in a height collapse of 1,314 ft making it now only 8,366 ft tall. Mt. Hood has had multiple eruptive periods involving non-explosive lava flows. The last of these occurring in 1907. However, the Mt. Hood region continues to experience clusters of seismic activity every year. Try enjoying a ski trip with that fun fact in the back of your mind.

Upon leaving the park area, I noted a quote stamped in cement that read: Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. These words were written by John Muir, an extremely influential environmental activist, who led Congress to preserve multiple wilderness areas including the slightly popular Yosemite National Park.

After the nature walk, we headed out to Ecliptic Brewing  for their annual Outdoor Project's Solstice Block Party. This is a gathering of local and national outdoor-focused vendors such as North Face, Bullfrog sunscreen, Patagonia, Deviation Ski & Snowboard Works and many more. My friends and I grabbed a stamp card which required visiting certain vendors and receiving a free prize if completed. Some vendors provided chances to win outdoor gear and clothing. Others gave out discount cards for their products.

I got to sip on some locally brewed kombucha and taste tested oatmeal by Roam Oatmeal. My husband hit 3 out 4 corn hole shots to take home a free packet of oatmeal. Score! At the Patagonia tent, I was able to purchase a slightly worn, insulated women's jacket for $20. This same jacket could easily cost over $200 brand new. Even bigger score! Shout out to The Renewable Workshop, who is a company that repairs and renews name brand outdoor clothing making it more sustainable and affordable for everyone. They were also at the Patagonia tent, ready and willing to repair any wear and tear in the clothing.

After completing the stamp card, I also received a 1% for the planet T-shirt. This is a an organization that has created a global network of companies committed to donating 1% of their profits to saving the environment. So despite 45, there is global effort out there trying to save the world one step at a time.

We then headed down the street from the block party to Mississippi Pizza for a bite. The side of the road seating was a little nerve racking, especially as large buses and trucks went by on the narrow street. We lived. But barely.

My husband and I ordered a Margarita pizza, which unfortunately took over an hour to get out to us. Jokes were made that they were waiting for the tomatoes to finish growing. Possibly. Despite the wait, the pizza was delicious and the manager gave us gift certificates for the delay.